Films based on works by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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- DirectorWalter LangWilliam A. SeiterStarsShirley TempleRichard GreeneAnita LouiseA little girl is left by her father in an exclusive seminary for girls, when her father fights in the Second Boer War. Later, when he is presumed dead she is forced to become a servant.
- StarsDeborah MakepeaceLesley DunlopRuth DunningA young girl is relegated to servitude at a boarding school when her father goes missing and is presumed dead.
- StarsMaureen LipmanAmelia ShankleyMiriam MargolyesSara Crewe enters a London boarding school a wealthy lady when she bids her father farewell as he enters the British Army, but her lifestyle quickly vanishes when her father suddenly dies, and Sara must endure a life of servitude.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsLiesel MatthewsEleanor BronLiam CunninghamSara is sent to a strict boarding school after her father enlists in WWI. When he is presumed dead, the headmistress, knowing she will not receive any more money, forces the girl to become a servant.
- DirectorLaura ShephardStarsMelissa BathoryLawrence BayneDesmond EllisSarah is going to a boarding school in London while her father is away on a important business trip. She is told however that he was killed and that she is an orphan and she has been indebted to Miss Michen, a evil headmistress.
- DirectorVladimir GrammatikovStarsAnastasiya MeskovaLyanka GryuIgor YasulovichThe film is set in 1890s London. Sarah lived happily in India with her father, but when he was drafted into military service he placed Sarah in a boarding school in London. Sarah was lonely, but she made some good friends at school. Suddenly her father was announced dead in a mine accident and Sarah became an orphan. Now she goes on a long and dangerous journey to find her father, who loved her and called her a "little princess".
- DirectorRomy SuzaraStarsCamille PratsMat Ranillo IIIJean GarciaThe adventures of Sarah as she stays at Miss Minchin's boarding school.
- StarsMayumi TanakaMîna TominagaTomoko MunakataAt a very young age, Mary loses her parents to the disease, leaving her traumatized and orphaned. From India, she is brought to England with her uncle who has taken on the role of her new guardian.
- DirectorMichael TuchnerStarsJoan PlowrightCherie LunghiAled RobertsLizzie, an American orphan with a green thumb, gets to stay at an orphanage at an English manor after WWII, where she explores a secret garden with a magical door.
- StarsSarah Hollis AndrewsHope JohnstoneWilliam MarshIn 19th-century India, Mary Lennox is suddenly orphaned by cholera. Her only living relative is her uncle, Archibald Craven, so Mary is sent to live at his estate on the Yorkshire moors. Where she discovers a secret garden and a cousin.
- DirectorFred M. WilcoxStarsMargaret O'BrienHerbert MarshallDean StockwellA girl is sent to live with her uncle on his estate when her parents die. There she discovers much intrigue, family history and secrets and personal baggage. In particular, a screaming child and...a secret garden.
- DirectorAlan GrintStarsGennie JamesBarret OliverJadrien SteeleMary Lennox is sent to live at Misselthwaite Manor where she befriends a young boy and learns about a secret garden.
- DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsKate MaberlyMaggie SmithHeydon ProwseA young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.
- StarsGillian FergusonHilary MasonPrunella ScalesA young British girl born and raised in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's estate. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and neglected. Aided by one of the servants' brothers, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.
- DirectorMarc MundenStarsDixie EgerickxRichard HansellDavid VerreyAn orphaned girl discovers a magical garden hidden at her strict uncle's estate.
- DirectorOwen SmithStarsGlennellen AndersonAmanda WatersMax RiverSteampunk update of the classic tale by Frances Hodgson Burnett, with orphaned teen Mary Lennox discovering the magic and mystery of the secret garden.
- DirectorCarlos SuárezStarsAssumpta SernaXabier ElorriagaTaida UrruzolaLucia is a computer expert who relieves stress through secret nightly s&m sessions, where she plays the sub. One day, a letter from her supposedly dead ex lover arrives, so she and her new partner investigate the matter.
- DirectorRomy SuzaraStarsTom TausRonaldo ValdezJaclyn JoseAt an early age, American boy Cedie Erol finds that he is the sole heir to a British earldom and leaves New York to take up residence in his ancestral castle where, after some initial resistance, he is joined by his middle-class mother, widow of the late heir. His grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, intends to teach the boy to become an aristocrat, but Cedie inadvertently teaches his grandfather compassion and social justice, and the artless simplicity and motherly love of Dearest warms his heart.
- DirectorJames KirkwoodStarsMary PickfordDavid PowellForrest RobinsonA young girl who lives in the London slums is in love with a cunning thief and persuades him to give up his life of crime. Meanwhile, an eccentric millionaire who has been diagnosed with an incurable dementia becomes so despondent that he decides to commit suicide. He disguises himself as a vagrant and wanders into the slums. As he tries to find the courage to kill himself, the young girl encounters him and rationalizes him out of his cowardly act. Her genuine sweetness and strong faith affect him to such an extent, that he begins to believe recovery is possible. Now the girl's sweetheart has been falsely accused of murder, and only the millionaire's licentious nephew can give him an alibi. The girl pleads with the nephew to help prove her sweetheart's innocence. He refuses and tries to take advantage of her. The millionaire arrives in time and shames his nephew to testify correctly. The millionaire now pledges himself to a life of service and charity, and the girl and her sweetheart are happily reunited.
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsJacqueline LoganDavid TorrenceRaymond GriffithExpecting to die soon or to go insane, Sir Oliver Holt disappears into the London slums intending to commit suicide; but he is dissuaded by Glad, a cheerful girl whose sweetheart (a burglar called "The Dandy") Sir Oliver has sent to obtain money from his safe. The Dandy discovers Arthur Holt, Sir Oliver's nephew, already looting the safe; and he (The Dandy) is framed for the murder of a policeman. When Glad appeals to Arthur for help, he attacks her, but The Dandy comes to the rescue, followed by the police. Sir Oliver arrives, establishes The Dandy's innocence, and makes the crook and Glad his wards.
- DirectorRobert ThornbyStarsVivian MartinClarence GeldertDouglas MacLeanAn Englishman who has made his fortune in America decides to return to England. He takes his daughter Octavia to pay a visit to her relatives, especially Miss Belinda Bassett, an aunt whom she has never seen. An important business cable calls the father to America, and Octavia goes on alone to her aunt. The aunt's home, Slowbridge, is a sleepy little English village whose snobbish small-town aristocracy is headed by pompous Lady Theobald, who has everyone under her thumb, including Miss Bassett and her own granddaughter Lucia, a sweet, shy English girl. Octavia has the effect of a dynamite bomb in Slowbridge. Her dresses, her breezy ways, her unconventional conduct, all infuriate Lady Theobald, and at first terrify her aunt. Little by little, however, Octavia becomes a general favorite. She enjoys engineering a love affair between bashful Lucia and a fine young man who has no social standing in Slowbridge just because he is a mere manufacturer and not a "gentleman of leisure." The worst blow to Lady Theobald comes when her nephew Captain Barold becomes exceedingly fond of Octavia. His manner of demonstrating his affection does not please Octavia; he seems to feel that he is doing her a tremendous favor in bestowing his affection upon her. She decides to teach him a lesson. Lady Theobald wants Captain Barold to marry her niece Lucia, who is actually in love with the manufacturer. Lady Theobald is horrified when she sees Octavia snatching this wonderful catch away from Lucia. Just when Slowbridge is about to blow up with agitation, Captain Barold puts his fortune to the test. He asks Octavia to marry him. She refuses, thereby succeeding in injuring his bump of conceit. Octavia's father arrives with the news that he is more than a millionaire; that his mining stock has recently doubled in value. With him comes Jack Belsays, an energetic American youth who is a type as foreign to Slowbridge as Octavia. What is the surprise of the small township to learn that Octavia has been engaged to Jack all the time, and never at all anxious to fasten herself upon English small town society or to intrude into their affairs. A marriage ceremony follows in Miss Bassett's little villa with young Poppleton, the curate officiating. Through Octavia's good offices, another wedding follows later, that of Lucia and the young manufacturer, whom even Lady Theobald has come to realize is fully worthy of respect, and of the hand of her granddaughter Lucia.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsBaby PeggyGladys HuletteEdward EarleA modest man unknowingly has a baby with a woman from a affluent family.Through a series of coincidences he is reunited with his daughter, forcing the family to confront its secrets.
- DirectorHobart HenleyStarsPriscilla DeanRobert EllisKathryn McGuireJoan Lowrie and her brutal father, Dan, labor in the English coal mines of the 1870's. Fergus Derrick, a new over-man, attempts to make his workers' lives more bearable but incurs Lowrie's wrath when he fires him for smoking in the mine. Bent on vengeance, Lowrie is beaten when he picks a fight with Fergus, then defiantly smokes in a mine tunnel. There is an explosion, Joan rescues Fergus, and their love triumphs over their class barriers.
- DirectorJ. Searle DawleyStarsCecilia LoftusHouse PetersPeter LangNews is received by Sir Jeoffrey, a dissolute roué, whose contempt for the other sex extends even to his own daughters, of the arrival of another female child in the family. The mother dies shortly after, and the child, Clorinda, is brought up among the servants without a guiding hand. True to his vow to ignore his offspring, Sir Jeoffrey does not come in contact with Clo, until her sixth year, when he finds her playing with his powder horn in the great hall of his castle, Wildair, and sternly upbraids her. The child, who has inherited her father's courage and strength of will, shows no fear, and grasping a riding crop beats Sir Jeoffrey with all the fury of her tiny wrath. Her spirit and daring attract Sir Jeoffrey's attention, and he is delighted to find the child his own. From that moment, he keeps her in his own company, dressed in boy's clothing to obscure her sex, a member of his wanton circle. She grows up in this atmosphere of debauchery, and learns to swear, smoke and drink. Years later, at a hunting lodge, she meets the Duke of Osmonde and other great gentlemen, who are shocked at her male attire and masculine manners. In a spirit of pious benevolence, Lord Twenlow sends his chaplain to Wildair Hall to censure Sir Jeoffrey for permitting his daughter to grow up in this wild style. Clo overhears the Chaplain's remonstrances and realizes the true significance of her reckless habits. Meantime, her notoriety has reached London, and Sir John Oxon, the beau ideal of the town, lays a wager that he will win the heart of Clo, not as a hoyden, but as a woman. He arrives at Wildair Hall on Clo's birthday-night, and banters her on her claims to masculine prowess. Stung by his derision to prove she has all the attributes of a man, she challenges him to a duel, in which Sir John Oxon is badly worsted. However, his sarcasm has had definite effect and at the striking of the midnight hour, she gives the toast to the assembled noblemen: "Behold me for the last time clad in trousers." Later she appears in the Hall dressed in all the finery of a lady of quality, and from that moment bends every effort to attain that title legitimately. Sir John Oxon piles all his wiles to win her untutored heart, and she finally falls a victim to his flattery. Secretly she meets him in the rose garden, but publicly she slights him in the great halls. Nevertheless, Oxon wins her confidence, and she bestows her first kiss upon his lips, but not without a price, for at that moment he steals one of her raven curls, the proof of his wager. He hastens back to London to boast of his conquest, but in an intoxicated moment he hides the curl for safe-keeping, forgetting where. Clo waits for his return and is shocked when she receives news from London that he is to wed a wealthy lady of title. At this critical moment in her life the old Earl of Dunstanwolde asks her hand in marriage, and piqued at having thrown her affections so idly away, she accepts. A half hour later, she meets the Duke of Osmonde, and recognizes in him the man she loves. Faithful to her promise, she marries the Earl of Dunstanwolde, and becomes his devoted wife until he dies two years later. Sir John Oxon, having failed to make his match, and aware that Clo now possesses wealth, influence and position, tries to win back the heart he had so ruthlessly cast aside. But Osmonde has triumphed over her affections, causing jealousy and hatred to creep into the heart of Oxon. Chance places again in his hand the lost curl, which he holds over her head as a silken sword. Stunned by the fear that she will lose the love of Osmonde through the accusing evidence of the curl in an intensely dramatic scene in which Oxon attempts to force his embraces upon her, she strikes him across the temple with her riding crop. He falls to the floor. She lashes him, the pale still body lies there, dead. At that moment guests arrive, she conceals the body under the couch, and in the dead of night she drags it down into the deep cellar. For years afterwards, she atones for her sin by paying Oxon's debts, consoling the women had he wronged, and in other ways undoing the evil he had wrought.
- DirectorHobart HenleyStarsVirginia ValliLionel BelmoreMargaret SeddonClorinda Wildairs breaks off an affair with the unscrupulous Sir John Ozen to become engaged to a rich nobleman, Mertoun, the Duke of Osmonde. Clorinda accidentally kills Sir John when he, infuriated by her forthcoming marriage, threatens to blackmail her. She buries the body in the cellar and admits her act to the forgiving Osmonde before marrying him.
- DirectorAugusto GeninaStarsCarmen BoniBonaventura IbáñezArnold KentAn American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.
- DirectorF. Martin ThorntonStarsH. Agar LyonsGerald RoystonJane WellsThe earl of Dorincourt is a descendant of a long line of illustrious ancestors whose escutcheon has never been stained by dishonor of any kind. His oldest son and heir, Bevis, grows up to be a dissolute and weak-willed wastrel, while his second son, Maurice, an idle spendthrift, is little better. Only the third son, Cedric Errol, inherits the good qualities of his father. The worthlessness of his heir is the cause of great grief to the Earl. The reflection that the Earldom will descend to one who will drag the honored name of Dorincourt in the mire is so galling that it usurps every other thought in his mind. For this reason the good qualities of his gentle youngest son irritates him, and in order to get the young fellow out of his sight he sends him to America. About the same time, Bevis, tired of the dissipations of London and Paris, goes to New York in search of fresh sensations. Here he is entrapped into marriage by Minna, an adventuress, who had deserted her husband. Bevis does not know of this, neither is he aware that she has a child whom she has put out of the way by leaving it in charge of some low-class friends of hers. At home, Maurice, the second son, plunges heavily on the turf. At one race he backs the favorites and loses a very large sum. In the meantime, Cedric has married a charming American girl, and with wife and baby enjoys the delights of a happy home. But his father is prejudiced against Americans, and is convinced that Cedric has been entrapped by "a vulgar money-loving American woman." He therefore writes a letter in which he stops the allowance he has regularly sent his son. Soon after this, Maurice, the second son, meets with a fatal hunting accident in England. Four years elapse. Cedric, never robust, is now in the grip of a wasting and incurable malady. In a pathetic scene, he calls his little son to him and bids him always look after his mother. Soon after this he dies. Bevis at this time is living a fast life in Italy with Minna. As the result of his intemperance he has a sudden stroke and falls back in a fit, in which, in a few minutes, he expires. Minna wastes no time over tears, but instantly makes plans to feather her own nest. She writes to the Earl asking for funds and claiming the title of Lady Dorincourt. The old nobleman, in spite of the blows dealt him by misfortune in the deaths of all his sons, instructs his lawyer, Mr. Havisham, to fetch young Cedric, now little Lord Fauntleroy, and heir to the Earldom, from America. Little Cedric Errol is about six years old he has never forgotten his promise to his dead father to look after his mother. Despite the Dorincourt blood in him, Cedric has none of that empty and selfish pride which mars his grandfather's character. He has made friends with everyone, and his particular chums are Mr. Hobbs, an elderly grocer; Dick, a bootblack, and his mother's Irish cook, Bridget. Mr. Havisham calls on Mrs. Errol and tells her the latter's conditions with regard to Cedric, namely, that he is to live alone with his grandfather, though at the house he will provide for her; she is to be allowed an occasional visit from him. Mrs. Errol has just learned that, owing to misappropriation of funds, her small income has almost entirely vanished, and she realizes that it will be quite impossible for her to bring up her boy in the way he should be brought up. Parting from him will be a terrible wrench, but for his sake she conquers her natural reluctance with the thought, "My husband would wish it." Cedric is sent for and introduced to Mr. Havisham, who is surprised and delighted with him, and tells him that the Earl has instructed him to satisfy any immediate wish that he (Cedric) may have. Cedric tells of the troubles of Bridget, the cook, who cannot afford medical attendance for her invalid husband. Mr. Havisham gives him money and he rushes down to the kitchen and relieves Bridget's wants. Later, Cedric, learning that he is to live alone with the Earl, remonstrates but is won over by his mother, who dilates on the many good qualities of the Earl. Mrs. Errol and Cedric, escorted by Mr. Havisham, arrive at Dorincourt Towers. Cedric with his faculty of making instant friends gets upon good terms with a huge Newfoundland dog, which takes to him at once. The Earl unwillingly consents to see his son's widow. She delivers an unfinished letter that his son wrote him before dying, also a photograph of the young man. The old man's emotion masters him as he gazes at the photograph of the only one of his sons who had not disgraced him. To hide his feelings he blusters at Mrs. Errol, who retires with dignity after requesting permission to bid good-bye to her boy, Cedric, with that frankness which is one of his most attractive characteristics, introduces himself to the Earl, who watches him with interest, and is affected at the child's likeness to his father. Cedric, looking through the window, sees Higgins, a tenant of the estate, pleading with the butler on the lawn for permission to see the Earl. He calls the latter's attention. The old man, desiring to find out how his grandson will act, asks Cedric to call Higgins in. He then introduces Higgins to him, explaining that he has a wife and several children, all of whom have been ill. Little Lord Fauntleroy shakes Higgins by the hand sympathetically, and learning that he is worried over paying his rent, gets permission from the Earl to write to his agent telling him not to interfere with Higgins. Dinner is announced. Cedric notices that the Earl rises in pain, and offers his shoulder, saying, "Lean on me. Grandpa." The old man, desiring to test his pluck, does so; they exit. The fierce old man takes to the boy, and can hardly bear him out of his sight. One day, after returning from some riding lessons, he enters the library, where the Earl is reading a document. The little fellow is evidently worried and he lies at full length on the rug in a thoughtful attitude. Asked what he is thinking of, he responds, "I am thinking of mother." The Earl, realizing the child's love for his mother, makes her, through him, a present of a brougham. Cedric, in delight, is driven off to fetch her, and takes her for a happy drive. All this time the adventuress, Minna, has been preparing a pretty little plot. Her plans being ready, she appears with her child at Dorincourt Towers. Producing her marriage license in proof that she was actually wedded to Bevis, she boldly announces that her son is the issue of that union, and that she claims for him the title of Lord Fauntleroy. Her manner is insolent and boastful, but the Earl, though he orders her from the house, feels that she has a strong case, and is full of gloomy foreboding. The old man now realizes his love for his grandson, and the thought of seeing another take his place as little Lord Fauntleroy nearly breaks his heart. He instructs Mr. Havisham to contest Minna's claim. The case excites much interest in the papers. One account, containing Minna's photograph, finds its way to New York, and is seen by Dick Tipton, Cedric's bootboy friend, who recognizes in it the likeness of the runaway wife of his brother, Ben. On the advice of Mr. Hobbs, he sends the newspaper cutting to Ben, who determines to leave the "Wild West," where he has made his pile, and proceed to England to regain possession of his little son. Mr. Hobbs precedes him there, and calling on the Earl, offers his entire savings towards the expense of fighting for Cedric's rights. The old nobleman is deeply touched at such disinterestedness, though he does not find it necessary to avail himself of it. In honor of Cedric's eighth birthday his grandfather gives a fete to the tenants of the estate, to which Mrs. Errol and Mr. Hobbs are invited guests. In the midst of the merry-making, Minna, accompanied by her offspring, forces her way into the grounds, bent on making a scene. She is extremely insolent to the Earl, but her tirade is interrupted by the dramatic arrival of her husband, Ben, who exposes the fraudulency of her case and claims his son. The Earl invites Mrs. Errol to take up her residence permanently under his roof, and thus peace and happiness come to Dorincourt at last.
- DirectorAlfred E. GreenJack PickfordStarsMary PickfordClaude GillingwaterJoseph J. DowlingAn American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsFreddie BartholomewDolores CostelloC. Aubrey SmithAn American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsRicky SchroderAlec GuinnessEric PorterAn American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental Lord, who oversees the trust.
- DirectorRobert G. VignolaStarsVivian MartinRobert EllisNoah BeeryLouisiana is a mountain girl living in North Carolina (though named for her mother's home state). A poor girl, she is sent by her father to work in a resort hotel in order to obtain some cultural improvements. There she falls in love with a wealthy young man, much to the chagrin of the angry young mountain boy who wants her to give up her cultured ways and come back to the hills with him.
- DirectorRichard Curson SmithStarsLydia WilsonMaggie FoxSarah RidgewayAfter losing her employment, Emily accepts a proposal that will give her a secure future. But she soon finds trapped in her new family's deception.
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsMarguerite ClarkJack PickfordEdythe ChapmanPepita, a radiant and merry Spanish beauty, and her playful brother Jose, witness their mother, whose faded beauty led her husband to abandon her for another, plunge a dagger into her breast. After their uncle avenges the death, Pepita develops a fierce hatred of men and pledges never to marry, while Jose leaves for Madrid with a benevolent padre. Sebastiano, Spain's most famous toreador, arrives in town and, after seeing Pepita, spurns the pretty Sarita, who dies hopelessly infatuated. Later, Pepita visits Jose in Madrid and encounters Sebastiano. She resists his attempts at conquest and haughtily makes him serve her. Finally, when Pepita responds to Sebastiano's protestations of love with vehement hatred, he leaves for Lisbon. His departure awakens Pepita's love, and when he returns with a fiancee, Pepita suffers intense jealousy. During a bullfight, Sebastiano glances at Pepita and is gored by the bull. As he is about to die, Pepita, ready to die with him, declares her love, and Sebastiano revives.
- DirectorRobert Z. LeonardStarsJack CurtisHelen WareDixie CarrIn an English mining town during the 1870s, Joan Lowrie falls in love with Fergus Derrick, the new chief engineer who vows to improve working conditions. Joan's father Don, however, runs the mine and likes conditions just as they are. As a result, he quickly learns to detest the crusading Fergus, even to the point of trying to murder him. Joan saves Fergus, after which Don is killed by one of the workers whom he habitually mistreated. Don's death removes the only impediment to Joan's romance as well as to improvements in the mine, so while Joan and Fergus make plans for their marriage, plans also are developed to make the mine safer and more efficient.